1. Field of the Art
The present invention relates generally to devices used to remove moisture from physical structures. More specifically, the present invention relates to an attachment for connecting a water removal device around electrical outlets in the walls of homes and other buildings.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Water damage restoration is the process of restoring a property back to pre-loss condition after sustaining any level of water damage. While there are currently no government regulations in the United States dictating procedures, there are standards for water damage restoration.
A professional water damage restoration service documents the materials that are affected by the water damage and refers to industry standard pricing guides in order to determine the proper value of the residence's materials lost and their service.
Water damage services include the inspection of the affected area(s) with water sensing equipment such as probes and other infrared tools in order to determine the source of the damage, and possible extent of area affected. Restoration services would then be rendered to the residence in order to dry the structure, sanitize any affected or cross contaminated areas, and deodorize all affected areas and materials. After the labor is completed, water damage equipment including, but not limited to, air movers, air scrubbers, dehumidifiers, wood floor drying systems, and sub floor drying equipment is left in the residence. After a period of two to three days are the labor is completed, a reevaluation of the residence is taken to monitor the drying process, and any equipment not further needed is removed as to keep the charges under control.
One of the first steps in any water damage restoration project is to remove excess water and moisture from the building. During the process removing water, the interior walls of a building need to be addresses with fans and other air movers. Those of skill in the art, often remove electrical outlets so that air can flow into the space between dry wall brackets. When electrical outlets are not removed, it is still desirable to maximize the flow of air into the walls. In either of these instances, those of skill in the art often connect a hose from an air mover to the a wall via the hole left by a removed outlet or connect a hose around the outlet using zip ties, duct tape or other crude methods. Unfortunately, these methods do not reliably connect a vacuum hose to a wall in the desired location.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,684,819 discloses a flexible boot for an electrical receptacle having an open end and a closed end, and a peripheral, outwardly-extending, resilient flange which depends from the open end. The closed end of the boot is provided with areas of reduced thickness which are adapted to be pierced by electrical leads connected to the receptacle. The boot is employed in combination with an electrical outlet box and a receptacle situated therein so that the receptacle is surrounded by the boot and the resilient flange of the boot is held between the outer rim of the outlet box and a flange on the receptacle in a sealing relationship.
Another prior art reference, U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,636, discloses the combination of an electrical outlet box with an under plate wherein the outlet box has end walls and side walls and the under plate is a molded plastic insulator panel having a center tubular portion sized for telescopic engagement with the outlet box, the center portion being it continuous wall defining an open center area in the plate, and the plate having a continuous peripheral portion for engaging a building surface when the outlet box is positioned in a hole in such surface and the center portion insulating terminal portions of an associated outlet receptacle.
Yet another prior art reference, U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,351, discloses an insulating boot for use with an electrical device that is attached to an outlet box. The box is attached to wall studs and may hold one or more electrical device, such as snap or dimmer switches, electrical outlets, television cables, telephone jacks and the like. The boot is made of a non-conducting, elastic material in the form of a strip the ends of which adhere to form a loop that snaps around the circumference of the device. A second strip follows a second circumference around the back of the device and attaches by adhering to the first strip at a position between the ends of the first strip so as to interfere with the attachment of the two ends of the first strip. The insulating boot prevents the shorting of the terminal of a device against the grounded outlet box wall or against the terminals of an adjacent device.
However, none of the known prior art discloses a device suitable for connecting water removal devices from the interior walls of homes and from around electrical outlets reliably and without removing the outlets. The present invention addresses these and other omissions of the prior art.